THE ICEBERG
There was once a time when humans ruled the world
See, here’s a display of their remains
Business and technology were going strong
But consumption couldn’t be sustained
Hard to imagine how many of them there were
Billions of them living out their lives
And here in our history book of planet earth
Is the story of their own demise
Just the tip of the iceberg
A slow walk off a plank
A little drop in the ocean until society sank
We ignored all the warnings and focused on other things
We didn’t hear the sound it made when we finally felled the last tree
We would’ve got around to it eventually
But we were kind of busy
Now class what can we all learn from what we’ve seen?
How can we avoid the same mistakes?
If we as a species are short-sighted like they were
Could we end up like the human race?
With an industrial strength ignorance
They left their carbon footprints everywhere
Here is a recording of their final words
With the reasons why they weren’t prepared
Just the tip of the iceberg
One final walk in the park
While the whole world was burning
We were still in the dark
‘Cause we were checking our email and going shopping online
And running in the rat race ‘til we finally ran out of time
We thought we only needed money to keep us alive
But couldn’t eat it, couldn’t drink it, couldn’t breathe it to survive
Didn’t bother taking action ‘til it was too late
We sealed our own fate
THE STORM
It started out as something small
Nothing to concern us
And suddenly it’s grown into
Something so enormous
It fills the sky
I can’t believe my eyes
The gathered clouds are dark with rain
Smell that storm a-comin’
And lightning strikes within the heart
People run for cover
Thunderclaps of fear
Are ringing in our ears
Even now I’ll keep my head up
Searching for some clearer skies
This could be our finest hour
Or the darkest days we’ve known
Even when we are apart
We are never quite alone
A downburst of denial falls
Filling up the gutter
Yet empathy stays waterproof
Offering us another way to move ahead
With either love or selfishness
So tell me how the story ends
So far it’s a mystery
Will we choose the greater good in this living history?
When the storm is past what will we have left?
Even now I’ll keep on hoping
Our humanity will rise
This could be our finest hour
Or the darkest days we’ve known
Even when we are apart
We are never quite alone
This could be our finest hour
Or the darkest days we’ve known
Even when we are apart
We are never quite alone
THE MYTH
Let me tell you the myth of the self-made man
And how he built up a fortune with his own two hands
Industrious and plucky
An island unto himself
He rose up from obscurity to fame and wealth
When he’s interviewed about his meteoric climb
He says he pulled himself up by the boot straps many times
He went straight from rags to riches by pulling his own weight
With discipline and thrift he made himself a name
But what he doesn’t say is daddy pays the rent
And mommy’s left her fingerprints on every cent
His parents’ cronies funded every venture made
But with luck and perseverance you could do the same
If you just work harder than all those around you do
Equal opportunity is waiting there for you
Here, look at these examples of ingenuity
Find inspiration here and you will succeed
If you can’t push through a million obstacles to win
It’s your own damn fault for lacking skill and discipline
All you need is talent and diligence and luck
From lowly beginnings all you’ll go is up
He failed to mention that his uncle ’s on the board
His older brother gave him every job he scored
His college friends know CEOs by their first names
But with luck and perseverance you could do the same
From poverty to prominence in no time flat
With unacknowledged help from financiers and bureaucrats
If you can’t win you’ve only got yourself to blame
But with luck and perseverance you could do the same